Startups

America is a nation of startups—or that’s how the story goes, at least. But is it true? The Los Angeles Times offered up some stats about the current state of the nation’s startups, and the findings aren’t pretty: As reported by the newspaper, data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests that the number of new startups fell 28 percent between 1977 and 2011. Nor is that the only bad news for entrepreneurs: People aged 20 to 34—the so-called “Millennial” generation—were… continue…

Women outpace men when it comes to raising money for technology projects through crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, according to a new study by researchers at New York University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Jason Greenberg (NYC) and Ethan Mollick (Wharton/UPenn) chose 1,250 Kickstarter projects in five categories: games and technology, where founders were predominantly male; film, with an even gender distribution; and fashion and children’s books, both populated with more female founders and backers. They… continue…

Having disrupted the car-for-hire market—at least in some major cities—Uber and Lyft are progressing to the next logical stage: Doing their best to disrupt each other. Lyft has accused Uber of requesting and canceling more than 5,000 rides in the past year, costing its drivers precious time and money. In addition to denying the accusation (“Lyft’s claims against Uber are baseless and simply untrue”), Uber charges Lyft with engaging in the same underhanded behavior: “Lyft’s own drivers and employees, including… continue…

Most parents probably don’t dream of their kids becoming video game developers, but it’s a real career—and potentially a lucrative one. Finding your way in the industry is tough, though. The video game business can be volatile, reacting quickly to changes in the economy or the success or failure of an individual game. As with more traditional industries, the steadiest course centers on acquiring a job at a large, established company. But more and more, aspiring developers are leaving big… continue…

Tip of the Day If you’re toying with the idea of joining a startup, a little self-analysis is in order. Otherwise, the leap could be your downfall. Click here to see engineering jobs. Typically, there are two types of engineers who thrive during a startup’s early stages: those who are driven to develop a product people will use, and those who itch to build the next big company. There’s also a third type: Engineers who get a rush from being… continue…

This week, Washington, D.C., became the latest city to experience taxi drivers striking over Uber, Lyft, and other next-generation car services. As with similar protests in London and other cities around the world, taxi drivers parked their vehicles in the middle of major thoroughfares, snarling traffic and drawing social-media ire. Click here to see jobs at tech startups. “Traditional” cabbies have long argued that Uber and similar apps, because they don’t need to pass through a gauntlet of regulatory hurdles… continue…

“Silicon Beach,” the Los Angeles area’s tech scene, is growing in activity and carving out its niche. Re/code’s been taking a look at Silicon Valley’s prettier sister, surveying 30 of its most promising companies. Standouts include Oculus VR, just purchased by Facebook for $2 billion; Maker Studios, for which Disney shelled out $500 million; Beats, Apple’s latest acquisition at $3.2 billion; and Gravity, purchased for $83 million by AOL. Nasty Gal, an early e-commerce innovator, is now worth $100 million. Click here… continue…

Cisco plans on investing $150 million in startups and early-stage companies over the next few years, provided those recipients use that money to research the Internet of Things, “Big Data,” and other cutting-edge areas. Cisco clearly hopes that the investment will allow it to capitalize on the Next Big Thing before it hits the market. “Our ability to identify and stay ahead of market disruptions is deeply rooted in our build, buy, partner and integrate approach to innovation,” Hilton Romanski,… continue…

Startups are all the rage these days, with venture capitalists and Kickstarter crowds rushing to fund even the haziest ideas for new digital products. For prospective employees, though, the decision of whether to join a startup is often a fraught one: Are you willing to trade the comforts of working as part of an established company for the uncertainties and grind of a newborn firm, all for the faint dream of striking it rich a little further down the road?… continue…

While joining a startup offers exciting opportunities to work with innovative people and new technologies – not to mention the possibility of earning a ton of money if the company takes off – it also means long hours, lower pay and the possibility of being out of a job within the year. So, if you’re considering taking a job at a startup, you need to do some careful financial planning before making your decision. We spoke to a couple of… continue…